Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-01-27
ApuLTERATED SPICES.
Ground Olive Kernels Sent from Italy 10
MIX with Peppee.

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Ground Olive Kernels Sent from Italy b
MIX with Peppe..
The men in the wholesale ami retail
grocery trade of this city are excited a
the discovery of new adulterant il
the market. An offer frcm Italy to .
responsible house to supply it with 8
substance called "pepperette at $
cheap rate, for the purpose Of mixing
with black and white pepper, thereby
greatly reducing the cost, has led to
the exposure. Good pepper has been
recently quoted in the Liverpool mar.
ket at from q to so cents per pound
wholesale, or from s400 to 5000 per ton,
while the adulterant has been offered at
IS or $40 per ton, freight paid to Liv-
erpool at q per cent. of for cash. This
difference in price furnished a great
temptation, especially when the adul-
terant is guaranteed to absorb the
piquancy of the pepper with which it is
/; mixed, and thus defy detection in any
ordinary way. An investigation of the
matter has led to the discovery that
this new peppcrette is nothing more
than ground olive kernels. As
the Italian olives are used in
large numbers for the making of
olive OF. salad oil. the refuse after the
oil is pressed out has heretofore been
found almost, if not quite, valueless.
An experiment was made with the kerr
ncls, AMI it was found that when ground
they greatly rcsemblcd ground pepper.
1t was then ascertaincd that when
mixed with pepper the ground olive
kernels would so absorb the peculiari-
ties of the genuine article that the MKT
ure could not be detected. BY pro-
cess the color OF adulterating matter
can be made very light, so as to agree
with the shade of the whitest of the
peppers. also dark enough for the ordi-
nary plack pepper. The manufacture
ers Of the vile stuff. in their private
to the trade-for they
take the precaution to make their COM
Eunications confidential. guaranteeing
that no one else in the trade shall
know that any special house is among
their dealers-say that the pepperette
Is warranted to consist of = purely
vegetable substance. and to contain
nothing de!eteriOus. and consequently
in no way detrimental to the health.
OF course olive kernels ARE vegetable,
but it is not at all Likely tina: consum-
ers Of pepper will feel inclined to sprin-
kle ground olive kernels voluntarily
over the food they may eat.
But pepper is not the only spice that
has been found to haze had adultera-
lions. When ground it is difficult to
trace the deception. The wooden nut
meg is nothing to the tricks that have
been detected with ground spices. 1t |
IS said by one who has had good OPP
portunity for knowing that thousands |
If tons of burned and ground cOcoanut |
shells and other foreign substances
lave been favored with essential oils
md then sold for pure spices. In fact
t has become a regular business to
manufacture and sell these impurities.
Dishonest traders. taking advantage OF
heir facilities for mixing the pure and
yoOd with valueless trash, are enabled
o undersell the honest dealers, caring
title whether in doing so they are
'uining the digestion of men. women
md children, all of whom use spices at
his season of the year. 1t is only the
ligh-priced spices that are found to be
for the matter is now be-
ng closely investigated by the various
'tate Boards of Health. The analyst
# the Massachusetts State Board of
Health asccrtained that, out of twenty
light samples of black pepper ex-
mined, nineteen were adulterated,
nd OF sixty samples of white pepper,
were found to have the vile
turf mixed. These figures show to
7hat an extent the italian must have
uietly advertised his trash, and the
lumber of dishonest traders who have
cen found ready to purchase it. The
lew York State Board of Health is al
o engaged in making Investigations.
N. Y. Mail and Express.